A Comparison of the Energetic Cost of Walking With and Without a 10-Pound Weighted Vest

Authors

Aaliyah R. Brown, University of Louisiana at LafayetteFollow
Dustin P. Joubert, University of Louisiana at LafayetteFollow

Abstract

Walking is a widely utilized mode of aerobic exercise for improving cardiovascular health and increasing energy expenditure. Wearing a relatively light, weighted vest during walking exercise has recently grown in popularity. Despite this, it is unclear how these weighted vests impact the physiological workload or metabolic demand during walking. PURPOSE: Compare the energetic cost and cardiovascular response of walking with and without a 10-lb weighted vest. METHODS: Following screening and consent, 9 subjects (29 ± 15 years, 72.8 ± 16.5 kg, 7 female and 2 male) completed a single walking exercise session. Subjects first completed a 10-minute warm-up on a treadmill. In the first 5 minutes of the warm-up, they walked at a self-selected pace without any equipment. In the final 5 minutes of the warm-up they were fitted with a 10-lb (4.55 kg) weighted vest, heart rate monitor, and mouthpiece and nose clip for measurement of respiratory gas exchange with a metabolic cart. During this phase of the warm-up, they were asked to select a brisk walking speed between 3.0 to 3.6 mi·hr^-1 (4.8 to 5.8 km·hr^-1) that they would typically walk at for exercise purposes. Following a 5-minute break after the warm-up, subjects then completed 4 x 5-minute walking trials in a duplicate, mirrored order (Vest-No-No-Vest or No-Vest-Vest-No) with the test sequence counterbalanced across subjects. Subjects walked at their fixed, self-selected walking speed (3.3 ± 0.3 mi·hr^-1; 5.2 ± 0.4 km·hr^-1) with no incline for all trials and took a 5-minute break between each trial. Oxygen consumption (VO₂) and energy expenditure (kcals) were measured continuously throughout the trials and the final 2 minutes of each trial averaged for steady state data. The average across the 2 trials of a particular condition were calculated and the Vest and No Vest conditions were compared using a dependent sample t-test. RESULTS: Energy expenditure (kcals·min^-1) in the weighted vest (5.58 ± 1.43) was significantly higher (p = 0.003, 4.9 ± 3.4 %difference, 0.25 ± 0.18 absolute difference) than in no vest (5.33 ± 1.40). Similarly, VO₂ (ml·kg^-1·min^-1) using the weighted vest (15.3 ± 1.8) was significantly higher (p = 0.005, 4.4 ± 3.4 %difference, 0.7 ± 0.5 absolute difference) than with no vest (14.6 ± 1.5). CONCLUSION: While walking with the 10-lb weighted vest elicited statistically significant differences in VO₂ and energy expenditure compared to no vest, the physiological effects may be more negligible. On average the weighted vest increased energy expenditure by 0.25 kcal·min^-1, which is equivalent to just 15 kcal·hr^-1. Similarly, the average increase in VO₂ of 0.7 ml·kg^-1·min^-1 would only represent an increase in workload of 1.8% VO₂max for someone with a VO₂max of 36.6 ml·kg^-1·min^-1 (50^th percentile, 20-29 Females). This represents a less than 0.2 MET increase in workload. Given these findings, it is unlikely that walking at 3.0-3.6 mi·hr^-1 with a 10-lb weighted vest would lead to substantial metabolic or physiological adaptations compared to walking without a vest. Further, there are likely better options (e.g. pace, incline, duration) for stimulating progressive overload during walking exercise.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Aaliyah R. and Joubert, Dustin P. (2026) "A Comparison of the Energetic Cost of Walking With and Without a 10-Pound Weighted Vest," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 18, Article 221.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/221